


The Rose and the Tower

by AerisLei



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, four plus one fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 18:18:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11972988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AerisLei/pseuds/AerisLei
Summary: 4 Times Ozpin Comforted Ruby (+ 1 time he couldn’t).no shipping





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a Simple Souls shipping fic. If anything there are background undertones of Cloqwork (Ozpin/Qrow). The relationship between Ozpin and Ruby is supposed to be mentor to student. I know they don’t get much screen time, but Oz does seem to genuinely care about his students, which is what birthed this fic.

“I think you made a mistake.” Silver eyes met brown with a surprising steadiness. She’d gone so far as to seek him out in his office to tell him this. “Making me leader of the team was a mistake.” Her voice threatened to break for a heartbeat, before she continued on. “I can’t do this, I can’t lead them. I'm too young, I don't know enough. I don't have enough experience or... anything. I can’t make them get along. I can’t… I can’t protect them. I can’t do anything right.” She sounded so completely distressed. Silver eyes were just slightly shinier than normal as she spoke. Slender arms wrapped around her small form as she stood squarely in front of his desk.   


“I disagree. I didn’t make a mistake.” Ozpin’s voice was calm despite the torrent of words the teenager had just spat out. He took a sip of his hot chocolate and studied her with warm eyes. “But please feel free to elaborate on why you’re so sure I did.” One long fingered hand gently motioned for her to continue.

“Blake’s been missing for two whole days." Ruby began pacing restlessly as she spoke. "We can’t find her anywhere. And it’s all over some stupid fight that she and Weiss had because Blake’s a Faunus and Weiss is… well, a Schnee.” Unfortunately Ozpin really would understand the connotations of that. “I completely failed to diffuse the fight and now I can’t find one of my teammates.” She paused mid-pacing and forced herself to face him properly. “What kind of leader can’t find one of her teammates?”

“Well, I think you’ve set yourself an impossible task.” Ozpin sat back in his chair a bit and motioned for her to take the seat across from him - which she did. “No leader can force her teammates to get along. And that fight was bound to happen eventually. Perhaps sooner rather than later was better. They have time to mend the damage, and they will. I’m sure of it.” Mild, calm. “No one can expect you to constantly know where your teammates are - there are three of them and one of you.” He leaned forward just slightly. “I’m sure Miss Belladonna will return when she’s ready.”

“But-”   
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t look. But perhaps try to beat yourself up a little less, hm?” Ozpin sat back again. “I’m not saying you don’t have growing to do. You do, of course, but it’s only your first year.” A pause. "You'll make plenty of mistakes, but this? It isn't one of them."   


“How can you say that this isn’t a mistake. She’s  _ gone!” _

“And you’re here, in my office, upset about it. Not because of what the consequences might be, but because you  _ care. _ Not one of your teammates has said anything about the situation, Miss Rose. This is why you are the leader.”

It didn’t make her feel better, not really. But Ruby nodded wordlessly, accepting his response as it was.

Maybe she didn't have to understand his point of view to accept it. Ruby just hoped she turned out to be worthy of his trust.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby was sitting on the balcony, her legs dangling off the edge of it, body leaned back slightly with her fingers splayed over the stone. Alone, for the moment, and taking in the cool night air. Enjoying it really - it was peaceful.

“I really would be more comfortable if you weren’t halfway off the ledge, Miss Rose.”

Ruby giggled, it was an odd, bright sound. “I’m not going to fall” Rolling her eyes a little as she cast a glance over her shoulder to take in his much taller form. “You sound like Uncle Qrow.”

Despite this the smaller girl pulled her legs up from over the ledge and pushed herself back until her legs could stretch out fully over the stone instead of into open air.

“Much better.” Ozpin really did sound relieved. Ruby didn’t think about it too hard, keeping her focus on the stars in the sky instead.

She pointed at one in particular, or one specific constellation, rather. “You can see the lily well tonight.” A pause before she found what she was looking for. “And the falcon as well.”

“So you can.” A pause. “Did Qrow teach you to navigate by the constellations?”  
“A little.” Ruby admitted. “It’s not as reliable as a scroll, of course. He’s out there somewhere, passed the Falcon. He told me so, before he left.” A pause, and then a frown crossed her face. “Of course, that was three years ago. Who knows if it’s still true.”

She shrugged, and the frown was gone again, replaced by her far-more-usual carefree smile. “Of course I don’t know why I pointed the constellations out to you, I’m sure you’re good at finding them yourself.”

“I don’t mind. It’s nice to see a young huntress taking an interest in some of the less common skills.”

“Uncle Qrow said it’s bad to rely too much on technology too much, because if you get out far enough it starts to fail.”

“Well, he’s not wrong.”

Ruby knew that, of course. Qrow didn’t generally lie to her, and he was out there all the time, so he would know, of course. Probably better than most.

“I think I’m going to go to bed now. Thank you Professor Ozpin.” She flashed him a bright smile and rose from where she was sitting, dipping into a playful curtsey as she moved towards the door.

“For what, Miss Rose?”  
She shook her head. “Listening. Just… being you.” As if it made all the sense in the world. And perhaps to her, it did.

Ozpin appreciated the sentiment, truly. But it was a little confusing given she hadn’t said anything particularly earth shattering. "I'll always listen if you need to talk." He said, after a moment. "Goodnight."

It was only after Ruby was well and truly gone that it occurred to Ozpin that he really never did get an answer for what Ruby was doing up so late on the balcony. He shrugged it off after a moment, deigning to follow her inside and telling himself if it was important she would tell him. He was confident that he'd made himself approachable enough that she would tell him if she needed to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

“Shouldn’t you be in bed, Miss Rose?” There was no accusation in that tone, but there was, perhaps, a flicker of concern.

“Probably.” She even sounded tired, Ruby knew. Silver eyes looked up for a moment, studying the headmaster’s expression, before allowing her gaze to dip back down to the book she was making notes from. It was late, and this was the library. But it was quiet, and her restlessness wasn’t disturbing her teammates.

“Does this midnight study session have a purpose or…?”   
“I just couldn’t sleep.” Ruby admitted, softly. “And figured I may as well be constructive. Though at some point I stopped working on homework and started on this.”

“What what is ‘this’?” He encouraged mildly.

“I was… trying to see if there was anything we could have done differently. Anything I could have done differently in Mountain Glenn that wouldn’t have ended in Grimm flooding into the city.” She shivered. “There were… so many casualties. There could have been so many more.”

“You’re doing it again.”   
“Doing what again?” Ruby sounded confused.

“Giving yourself an impossible task. … And also, torturing yourself with what ifs. Neither are constructive in the least.”

Ruby looked down, having the presence of mind to look chastised. “You’re right.” She flashed him a bright smile - a look much at odds with the pensive look that had been on her face before. “But I can’t help but wonder…”   
  
“You made mistakes.” Ozpin confirmed, in a mild voice. “Everyone does. What’s important, Miss Rose, is that you learn from them.”  
“Right.”    
  
“So tell me, what did you learn?”

What had she learned? Ruby sat back a bit, studying Ozpin slightly, wondering what it was he expected her to say. Sometimes he asked these questions and seemed like he already knew the answer. Sometimes she wasn’t sure there  _ was _ an answer to the question. “Well… I learned I should be careful. And that looking beneath the surface is important. And that I should stay with my team instead of trying to do things myself.” She fidgeted a little, thoughtfully. “It’s easy to end up in over my head, and making decisions in the heat of the moment is something I’m going to have to do, but it’s so… hard to see what the ending consequence might be.”

“It can be.” Ozpin agreed mildly. “It’s a skill you learn, but, you know…” He trailed off a moment, sipping at the liquid in his mug. “Hindsight is always near flawless. Don’t beat yourself up for not seeing another option in the moment. Sometimes what hindsight tells us would work absolutely wasn’t viable at the time.”

“Thanks, Professor Ozpin.” Her tone was earnest. It wasn’t perfect, but she did feel a lot better. 

“You’re welcome, Miss Rose.” A pause. “Now, you should try and get some rest.”   
“Yes sir.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You have the most uncanny habit of finding me when I’m trying not to disturb anyone.” Ruby huffed, not looking at him even as she heard the door close somewhere behind her. “Do you have cameras set up that tell you if someone is moving in the halls at odd hours?”

“No cameras.” His tone was mild. “But I have been a teacher for a very long time. Call it instinct.”

Normally Ruby would have laughed at that, tonight she didn’t. “Do you ever sleep?”  
“I could ask you the same question.” Ozpin pointed out in a dry tone of voice.

Ruby didn’t respond, and didn’t turn to look at him as she usually did. It was these things - little things that added up fast to tell a story - that told Ozpin that tonight was not the same sort of sleeplessness as he usually caught her facing.

The girl sat at the very edge of the balcony with her knees drawn up close to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, holding them in that slightly unnatural position. Her head was turned to keep her focus out towards the grounds, away from him.

There was a slight shift as Ozpin leaned more heavily on his cane, while studying the small figure who looked inexplicably younger than usual. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you, Miss Rose?”  
“Not really.” Her voice was small. 

There was a stillness that stretched between them. Ozpin didn’t push, but he did wait, suspecting that if he was still and quiet eventually she would tell him what was eating at her.

“I just…” Her voice trailed off, as if the words died on her tongue. “It’s been three years and he hasn’t sent anything at all. And it’s silly, I know. He’s a huntsman, he’s busy. He’ll come when he can. He always does. But it’s never been this long before. Never this long without a single word.” The words seemed to rush forward. “And I shouldn’t worry, I know that. It’s an insult to worry about a huntsman in battle. But I…” Her hands tightened suddenly for a moment before she leaned back, letting her legs stretch out and her arms shifted to just hugging around her own torso.

“Knowing all that doesn’t stop the blood soaked dreams. It doesn’t stop me being scared that I’m going to be pulled out of class one day just long enough to be told that he’s not coming home.” Ruby turned her head then, her gaze sweeping up the older man’s form before meeting his gaze. 

“It’s not silly to be worried about people you care about.” Ozpin contradicted firmly. “And while some of the older generation do stick to the idea of it being insulting to worry about a huntsman, it’s only natural.” He paused for a moment. “Your uncle means a lot to you, hm?”

Ruby nodded, the barest hint of a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. “He does. And I know like every other time eventually I’m going to look back at this and shake my head at myself. But… I guess I’m just worried that  _ this time _ it’ll be too much.” Qrow could take care of himself, she knew that.

Ozpin gave her a very knowing look. Qrow could take care of himself, they both knew that. But what one of them knew and the other didn’t was that just because he  _ could _ didn’t mean he always  _ did. _ Still, Ozpin didn’t want to legitimize her fear to quite that level. 

“He means a lot to you, too. Doesn’t he?”

Ozpin looked slightly taken aback by the statement. “We’re friends, yes.” Ozpin admitted after a moment. 

“You should probably try to rest some, Ruby.” His tone was gentle. “Morning comes early.”   
“I know.” She sighed. “I’ll go soon. I promise.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this didn't come out exactly the way I wanted to and also ended up being roughly 2x as long as any other chapter. ... Oops?

It had been a week, just a week, since her last bout of insomnia. A week since she’d found herself talking to Headmaster Ozpin about fears she didn’t even really like to admit to Yang. But Ruby supposed it was different, because Yang was family too, and Yang would be hurt too by anything happening to Qrow. Ruby didn’t really want to make Yang worry, especially when it was her own mind that was making up the danger.

They were in Professor Port’s class. He was in the middle of one of his overly-exaggerated stories and Ruby was only half listening. She was taking notes, sort of, but mostly she was scribbling on a piece of paper and passing it back and forth with Yang while Weiss rolled her eyes disapprovingly.

Ruby had to smother a giggle behind her hand as she read the next line on the note. But before she could start to write a response class was interrupted by the door opening unexpectedly. Half the class turned all at once, abandoning all pretenses of listening to their teacher bluster on about his own accomplishments. 

“Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose, with me please.” Professor Goodwitch’s voice cut through the sudden silence.

The last of Ruby’s laughter died at that, confusion crossing her face as she looked at Yang who merely shrugged at her. Ruby gathered her things and put them in her bag quickly before sliding out of the row with Yang behind her.

“Will they be returning this period?” Port interrupted for a moment.   
“Likely not.” Glynda confirmed without elaboration. 

The girls exchanged another look before glancing at their teammates, and then finally proceeding towards the back of the classroom where Professor Goodwitch awaited them.

“What’s going on?” Ruby asked as soon as the door closed behind them.  
“That will be answered shortly.”

Ruby didn’t think she liked the sound of that, and the look she gave Yang said so clearly.

Yang gave her an encouraging smile. “So where are we going?”   
“The headmaster awaits you.”

Er. Another glance passed between the sisters. Okay, well that ruled out being in trouble for passing notes. 

It didn’t take long to make their way through the halls courtesy of the fact that most everyone was in class and thus they were empty. But the elevator ride was uncomfortable - they were both used to Glynda’s stern silence, but neither was sure what to make of the look she cast over her shoulder at them just before the doors opened into the headmaster’s office.

What Ruby was struck by was the fact that she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Ozpin look so tired - not even at nearly three am when they both should have been in bed and had both likely been up since dawn. He was standing behind his desk with both hands flat on its surface, leaning forward just a hair. What it was his gaze was focused on it was impossible to tell from here. 

Glynda cleared her throat and Ozpin straightened up before sitting down in his chair. “Ah, thank you for bringing them, Glynda.” A pause, as he seemed to collect himself. “Please have a seat, both of you.”

Glynda took her leave as they crossed the room, leaving the girls alone with the Headmaster. 

“I don’t like this.” Yang murmured.  
“I don’t either.” Ruby responded even as she gave her best stoic smile and shrugged before leading the way to take a seat in front of Ozpin’s desk. 

“You might as well just tell us.” Yang said in a flat voice. “Whatever it is sitting on it isn’t going to make it better.”   
“Yang, have a little patience.” Ruby responded, almost amused - but not quite. 

“I put this off as long as I could, in hopes that the issue would sort itself out.” Ozpin’s voice was steady, but his brown eyes were sad. “But putting it off any longer felt like lying to you.” The pause was short, just long enough to give the impression that he was not sure how to word what was on his mind. “Qrow Branwen missed his last check in by just under a week.”

That statement required little elaboration for two girls who’d grown up in a family of huntsmen. Missing a check in generally meant the hunter in question had been compromised in some way - deceased or incapacitated to a dangerous level. 

“I held off saying anything because he’s done it before, missed by a day or two because there was too much happening at a given time.” But a week was the second longest he’d ever missed a check in by. And the longest? That had ended in disaster. “I truly am sorry.”

“Oh because that makes it  _ so _ much better.”   
“Yang, please.” Ruby’s voice was soft. 

“So you believe he’s…?” Ruby’s voice trailed off before she could give voice to the words.

Ozpin gave her a knowing look. “His status is currently unknown. But having missed his check in by such a margin is not encouraging. Qrow is a good huntsmen, and I have complete faith in his abilities. If it is possible for him to return, he still will.”

“Has he ever been this late before?” It was Yang who asked.  
“Only once.”

Yang looked like she might ask, but Ruby’s expression caught her attention, and she decided now wasn’t the time to ask. Only once. That left many possibilities, but… somehow, Yang thought she knew precisely when it was that Qrow had been this late before. “Ruby-”

“Was that all then?” The dark haired girl’s voice was quiet, and carefully controlled. Smothered, was perhaps the right word. Ruby’s expression was flat as well, controlled to the point of being blank - only her eyes showed the storm of emotions and distress that danced beneath the surface.

It was strange seeing how she handled grief in the light of day, instead of when she was vulnerable and alone at late at night. It was uncanny just how much like her father she was while in the same light looking so much like Summer. 

Ruby rubbed at her eyes once, surreptitiously before forcing a bit of a smile. “Professor…?” 

Oh right, he hadn’t answered. “Yes, that was what I called you into my office for.”

“I’m... going to see if Professor Goodwitch can find me a sparring partner.” Yang stood up and stalked to the elevator - pausing only long enough to see if Ruby was following her before calling it back up. 

“Yang-”   
Yang looked over her shoulder as the elevator doors open, eyes crimson. She didn’t stop, instead smashing one of the buttons and letting the doors close between them.

Ruby slid down in her chair. If Ruby had asked, Yang would have stayed, she knew that. Ruby also knew that she should go back to class now, or at least leave the headmaster alone because he had plenty to do, she was sure.

But Ruby didn’t move, instead she leaned forward just slightly, lowering her head and trying to gather her thoughts and find that ever-present cheer. The cheer that would stop Weiss from looking down on her for being a bad leader, and stop all of them from worrying about her when there were more important things to deal with. 

The girl didn’t realize she was crying until the first teardrop landed on her hands, folded neatly in her lap. 

“It’s alright, Miss Rose. It’s going to be alright.”  
Ruby didn’t answer, but then, she didn’t have to. It didn’t feel like it was okay, it didn’t feel like anything would ever be okay again. But she’d pull herself together and she’d keep moving. That’s what Qrow would want her to do.

But just then? Just then the very idea was all too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Like I said this chapter didn't exactly flow the way I wanted it to but I couldn't quite manage to make it work entirely the way I intended. Yes I do know that Yang would probably put aside her own feelings and stay with Ruby but she was (in my hc at least) worried about her semblance loosing because she was upset aaaand she figures she'll be better equipped to help Ruby if she works out the tension first. 
> 
> Not contained in the chapter: Ozpin totally makes her hot chocolate and lets her hide in his office until she's actually ready to deal with people again. Glynda comes up some time later intending to tell Ozpin that they can't find Ruby anywhere and... well. Ruby's still there. 
> 
> Also not clear in the chapter - this occurs between when Oz/James/Glynda know that Qrow went 'dark' in the field and when he returns mid-Vytal festival. So take heart, Ruby didn't actually lose her uncle. Which is probably why RT didn't actually do a scene where the girls (or tai) were informed that Qrow was out of contact.


End file.
